The Gourmet Vegan ‘Can’t tell the difference’ Quiche
Posted on June 14, 2013 by The Gourmet Vegan - No Comments
The Gourmet Vegan “Can’t tell the difference” Quiche
Called the “Can’t tell the difference” quiche because this is indeed as close in both taste and texture as a dairy based quiche. I have never missed eggs, in fact, even before becoming vegan they were something i ate very infrequently, but I did miss the light and fluffy texture of a quiche.
Making this quiche was not something I had been planning on doing. I had not been working for weeks experimenting and this quiche is only in existence by chance because I happened to change channels on the TV by accident. As I flicked over, a programme on Burmese cooking was just finishing, but i happened to catch the last recipe. It was a recipe for Chickpea Tofu.
Never having heard of Chickpea Tofu, I reached straight for my tablet and googled it. What I found was the most incredible recipe by Cate at Girl Cooks World. I made her recipe (great in a stir-fry) and started to think about the process of making the dish which calls for mixing chickpea flour with water to form a thick and glossy mix and allowing to cool. Being inquisitive as I am, I started to think if there were other uses for this mixture and this led me to stage 2 of the making of my quiche.
Still researching Chickpea Tofu I then came across another recipe on the website I-40 Kitchen, and a posting by Vegan MoFo – Chick-Fu Reloaded. Reading through this post there was a mention of the writer liking to use this mixture in quiches, and being a huge lover of quiche, this was what caught my eye. I tried to use the original recipe as a base for a quiche but it just didn’t seem to work, there was something missing, the taste, texture, there was just something not quite right.
I went back to the drawing board with all the ideas from these other wonderful writers, played with the recipe a little, added other textures and flavours and finally came up with what I am sure you will agree is the most wonderful “can’t tell the difference” quiche.
 1 Hr 30 Minutes |
 Serves 4 |
 ? kcal per serving |
INGREDIENTS
1 batch Shortcrust pastry, enough to line a quiche dish. Can be home made but I used Jus-Rol
300 g ( 10 oz ) cauliflower, chopped into small florets
2 teaspoons groundnut oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 medium onion, finely sliced
1 medium red bell pepper, sliced
1 medium green bell pepper, sliced
For the quiche mixture
1 cup ( 105 g ) chickpea flour ( This cannot be substituted for any other kind of flour )
2.5 cups ( 600 ml ) water
1 vegetable stock cube ( A cube that makes 500 ml stock ~ I used Kallo )
1/2 teaspoon sage
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
3 tablespoons ( 10 g ) nutritional yeast
1/2 teaspoon black salt ( Kala Namak ), this is optional but it will give more of a taste of egg if used or 1/4 teaspoon of sea salt
Other Ingredients
4-5 slices of tomato for garnishing
Melted vegan margarine for brushing.
METHOD
Note : Please read through this recipe before making the quiche to be sure the directions are followed correctly.
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius ( 400 F ) Gas Mark 6.
Begin by roasting the cauliflower. Place in a bowl with 1 teaspoon of the oil and the 1/4 teaspoon salt and coat well. Place on a foiled baking tray and bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes until softened and slightly charred. Remove and put to one side.
Whilst the cauliflower is roasting, add the other teaspoon of oil to a frying pan and fry the onions, with a pinch of salt, for 3-4 minutes until they start to caramelise. Add the peppers and continue to cook on a low heat for 7-8 minutes until the onions are very caramelised and the peppers have softened. Put to one side.
Line an oiled quiche dish with the pastry, prick the bottom with a fork and bake blind for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and put to one side as you prepare the filling.
Now prepare the quiche filling.
In a bowl add the chickpea flour and one of the cups of water. Whisk this together well and put this to one side.
In a wide bottomed saucepan, add the final 1.5 cups of water and the stock cube, nutritional yeast, turmeric, sage and black salt (or the sea salt). Bring to the boil.
When the water comes to the boil, slowly pour in the chickpea mixture and stir continuously.
Once all the mixture has been combined, lower the heat and continue to stir continuously for 2-3 minutes until the mixture becomes quite thick and glossy.
Add in the cauliflower and the vegetables and combine everything well. This will be a very solid mixture.
Pour into the prepared pastry case, leveling with a spatula, and top with the sliced tomatoes.
Put into the oven for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and brush the top with some melted vegan margarine and place back into the oven for a further 5 minutes.
Remove and allow to cool completely before serving. Can be served warm or cold. If you are serving warm, then allow to cool and reheat in the oven for 5 minutes.
SOURCE YOUR INGREDIENTS
Clicking on the ingredient name will offer you a link to the product I use and where it can be purchased
RECIPE NOTES
IMPORTANT ! The chickpea ( gram ) flour cannot be substituted with any other flour. This recipe only works if the correct flour is used.
RECIPE TIPS
Read well before starting the recipe, and then read again and then once more. This recipe needs to be followed to the letter for the incredible results you will get from your finished quiche !
THE VEGAN HOUSEHOLD PROUDLY SUPPORTS
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